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Emperor Norton's Ghost: A Fremont Jones Mystery
 
 
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Emperor Norton's Ghost: A Fremont Jones Mystery [Hardcover]

Dianne Day (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 17, 1998
Two years after the Great Earthquake that destroyed San Francisco, and a year after the bitter misunderstanding that almost destroyed their budding romance, Fremont Jones and Michael Archer are back in the City by the Bay, this time committed to being "partners in life and work." Their life is shared as equals, and their work is the private investigations agency they have opened together, but--not surprisingly, where Fremont is concerned--it's sometimes difficult to separate the two.

In fact, it's her friendship with a slightly flighty, pretty, and troubled young woman that gets Fremont involved in her first murder investigation. Frances McFadden is besotted with spiritualism, and the curious but skeptical Fremont agrees to accompany her to a séance. When Frances's husband finds out about their adventure, her punishment is both degrading and galvanizing at once. Then two mediums are murdered, Frances begins to discover her own talent for telepathy and takes a lover, and Fremont becomes dangerously embroiled in her friend's illicit liaison.

While Fremont hones her investigative skills, she also comes to a new appreciation of Michael's professional talents and his other special qualities as well. As in her three earlier mysteries, Dianne Day provides "foggy period atmosphere, a dash of dangerous romance" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), and a twisty new adventure for her intrepid sleuth.


Dianne Day spent her early years in the Mississippi Delta before moving to the San Francisco Bay area. Fremont Jones has appeared in three previous mysteries: The Strange Files of Fremont Jones, which won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel, and two bestselling sequels--Fire and Fog and The Bohemian Murders. Day, who now lives in San Francisco, is at work on her fifth Fremont Jones mystery, Death Train to Boston.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like all good historical mysteries, Dianne Day's books about a feisty young woman from Boston named Fremont Jones who winds up solving crimes in and around San Francisco in the early 1900s are a delicate balance of odd and exotic period details and characters with motivations we can sympathize with today. The notion that Fremont's lover-partner, a Russian named Michael Kossoff, might be involved in a plot to murder the mad monk Rasputin is made more believable by his endearing habit of bringing home fresh pastries for breakfast. That Fremont's new friend Frances McFadden seems to have summoned up at a seance the spirit of that infamous 19th-century San Francisco character who crowned himself Emperor Norton I of the United States and Defender of Mexico is balanced by the bruises Fremont notices on the battered wife's arms. And descriptions of a determined San Francisco rebuilding itself after the 1905 earthquake remind us of more recent Bay Area disasters. Day writes with wit and energy, and her Fremont Jones is a totally plausible modern woman born a few decades before her time but making the most of that accident of history. The first three books in this laudable series are The Strange Files of Fremont Jones, Fire and Fog, and The Bohemian Murders. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

The beguiling characters populating the fourth Fremont Jones mystery, following The Bohemian Murders (1997), are such fun that one can forgive the less than captivating plot. A strong-willed and beautiful young woman intent on following her own star, Fremont sustains a stormy relationship with a handsome, sophisticated ex-spy of Russian extraction, Michael Kossoff, aka Michael Archer. In 1908, in a post-earthquake San Francisco that is rapidly rebuilding with energy and style, Jones and Kossoff have formed the J&K Agency, with Fremont as a detective-in-training and ex-cop Wish Stephenson as an operative. Through a young married friend, Fremont involves herself and the agency in the murder case of two well-known spiritualists. Day's appealing portrait of a spirited, irrepressible heroine battling the strictures of a more straitlaced time works well whether Fremont is donning men's duds to infiltrate several exclusive men's clubs or fighting the casual acceptance of wife abuse. The interplay between the two principals and Day's superior handling of period detail and supporting characters contribute to this series' strong appeal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (August 17, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385486081
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385486088
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,717,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and original, October 29, 1999
Thououghly delightful;the best yet in a series which keeps getting better and better. As a native San Franciscan whose grandmother lived through the 1907 earthquake, the descriptions in the book ring true. The heroine, investigator, Fremont Jones is refreshingly original. The plot is fast moving and the story peopled with memorable secondary characters. I look forward to more from the talented Ms.Day and the delightful Ms.Jones and company.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, August 13, 2000
By 
History Freak (Oakland, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
I am not really a mystery fan but was attracted to this book by it's title. As an avid student of San Francisco history I expected I might enjoy it, if only to pick apart all the historical inaccuracies! Was I ever wrong! Dianne Day obviously has done her research as her version of pre-earthquake San Francisco is right on! Not only was it accurate but it actually makes the period come alive. She gets the big things right, and the little things as well. For those who love mysteries and San Francisco this book is a must read. I enjoyed seeing the world I had read about for so many years brought to life, and in such refreshing ways. I look forward to reading all of the Fremont Jones Mysteries!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Freemont Jones Is back in her best adventure to date, June 11, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Emperor Norton's Ghost: A Fremont Jones Mystery (Hardcover)
Three years have passed since the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath nearly destroyed San Francisco. However, the city has made a remarkable recovery in its efforts to be rebuilt. Private investigators Freemont Jones and her lover Michael Archer return to their adopted home to live and work together. Freemont is an odd woman. Rarely does one see such an independent female willing to ignore society by not marrying the man she lives with and who prefers working in a dangerous occupation.

Freemont accompanies her only female friend, Frances McFadden, wife of a wealthy but abusive businessman, to a seance. When the medium invites Frances to a private session, Freemont also comes. However, when they arrive at the medium's home, they find the woman dead. Freemont starts an investigation that leads her into an ethereal world of charlatans, con artists, and one killer whose target is the city by the bay's most renowned clairvoyants.

This fourth entry in the Freemont Jones historical mysteries is the best novel in a series that already boasts three superb tales, including a Macavityy Award winner. Dianne Day brilliantly fleshes out her characters so that the audience can feel for them while understanding their motivations. The cadence and vocabulary of the dialog matches the vernacular of the era while the resiliency of the San Francisco residents adds much depth to the novel. The who-done-it is complex and will also sustain reader interest. EMPEROR NORTON'S GHOST contains enough elements from different genres to appeal to a wide range of readers, including those who love mystery, historical, and mainstream novels.

Harriet Klausner

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